Crystallization

Crystallization is a physical process and a laboratory technique rather than a biological molecule, receptor, or therapeutic target. In the context of drug discovery and development, it is most commonly associated with structural biology (specifically X-ray crystallography), where it is used to produce high-quality crystals of proteins or nucleic acids to determine their three-dimensional structures (Wikipedia, 2023). This information is vital for structure-based drug design, allowing researchers to visualize how small molecules bind to specific binding sites. Additionally, crystallization is a critical industrial process used for the purification and solid-state formulation of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) (ScienceDirect, 2021). Because it describes a transition from a liquid or amorphous state to a highly organized solid state, it does not have biological functions or direct roles in disease pathology.

Other names

Crystal growthProtein crystallizationFractional crystallization

Not applicable; crystallization is a physical process and laboratory technique rather than a biological target.